NewsState

Actions

SRO named hero in Great Mills High School shooting receives Officer of the Month Award

Posted

The Maryland school resource officer that confronted a shooter at Great Mills High School received a national honor Monday.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund gave St. Mary's County Sheriff Deputy First Class Blaine Gaskill the Officer of the Month Award for May.

Deputy Gaskill confronted the shooter at the school back in March. The teen had shot and killed 16-year-old Jaelynn Willey and hurt another student before turning the gun on himself.

RELATED: Evidence shows that Great Mills High School shooter shot himself, 911 calls released

RELATED: Teen shot in MD school shooting taken off life support

"In this tragic story, we can be thankful for that fact that Deputy First Class Gaskill was at that school that morning," said Memorial Fund Chief Executive Officer Craig W. Floyd in a press release. "He undoubtedly saved many more lives with his bravery and training. It is with great honor we present him the Memorial Fund’s Officer of the Month Award for May 2018."

Deputy Gaskill will be honored at an award ceremony in Washington, D.C. in 2019, along with other Officer of the Month Award recipients for 2018.